Skip to content or footer

Tsarina Imperial Dacha, launched in 2007, is the only company in the UK that designs and manufactures real log cabins and homes from solid round logs.

Managing Director Michael Dutton uses sustainable grown Scottish timber and traditional techniques learned when he lived and worked in the Arctic Circle as a soldier and also in Russia where he lived for several years after leaving the Army.

Although the core business is the design and manufacture of log cabins and log homes, the company has expanded its range of products and uses different parts of the timber to create everything from garden furniture, children’s play equipment and hot tubs to decking boards, telegraph poles, bridges, fencing and even solid wood sailing masts.

Challenge

To complement and protect their existing timber products Tsarina developed a range of natural preservatives from natural oils which they engineered to protect the wood, highlight the products’ natural aesthetics and also act as a fire retardant.

Before they could market and sell these new preservatives, however, they needed to demonstrate their efficiency and performance.

Unfortunately Tsarina lacked the necessary in-house expertise and needed access to industry standard equipment and techniques to test the new wood preservative.

Solution

Tsarina approached Mari Findlay Rural Project Executive at Interface to find out if academia could provide a solution.

Mari worked with Michael to understand the project objectives, translating the initial brief to make it relevant and appealing to an academic audience.

Mari Findlay explains, “With established connections in each of Scotland’s Universities and Research Institutions Interface are able to identify the most applicable expertise, the most relevant facilities and, in doing so, find the most suitable solutions for any number of business challenges.”

“Our service is free and impartial and can save businesses a huge amount of time and money when searching for academic support. We work with hundreds of businesses each year supporting them through their project and helping them to achieve their project aims and objectives.”

Tsarina received a number of responses from their initial search but decided that Dr John Liggat at the University of Strathclyde was able to provide the most suitable solution.

Dr Liggat is a leader in the field of polymer durability and fire response with a proven track of responding to industrial challenges in the chemical manufacturing arena and his experience and expertise proved an ideal fit for Tsarina.

Having met with Tsarina and exploring the project in more detail Dr Liggat performed a scientifically controlled study where Tsarina wood samples, alongside samples from two international market leaders, were subjected to an accelerated aging process which mimicked solar irradiation and water inundation within a controlled laboratory setting. Where Tsarina’s sample passed the tests, the comparative samples failed and although Dr Liggat is still in the process of compiling a full report of his findings it is already evident that Tsarina’s wood preservatives have far exceeded all expectations.

Benefits

Dr Liggat and Tsarina are already planning the fire testing stage of the project and if successful it will mean that Tsarina will have developed the world’s first single wood preservative and fire retardant made completely from natural ingredients and oils.

Michael Dutton, Managing Director at Tsarina said “Interface opened the doors to academia giving us at Tsarina a unique opportunity to test our products with industry experts. This has not only allowed us to legitimise the unique properties of our preservatives but it has also proved to be extremely time and cost effective – ideal for a small business like ours.”

“Our company has already received huge benefits from this partnership and there are plenty of other opportunities; we’re already planning the fire testing stage with Dr Liggat but the University have also suggested that we start a student project with the Marketing School allowing students to assist in getting the product to market.”

Tsarina are now actively seeking manufacturers who would be interested in licensing these preservatives, and Michael believes that the revenues from this could be used to grow the company further, increasing staff levels and production capabilities.

For more information on Tsarina Imperial Dacha, to see their products or to contact Michael please visit www.tsarina-imperial-dacha.com

The company has a strong environmental and sustainability policy and ensures that every part of the tree is used, resulting in zero waste.  Even the grindings from the trees goes as cattle bedding which is then recycled back into the land as fertiliser.

It has been Michael’s aim to create local employment opportunities for others within his business as it grows, and to also train others in the art and skills of Log Building, a very unique and skilled profession which is known as a Log Smith.

Working through Interface and with the University of Strathclyde is helping this to happen much faster than would have otherwise been possible.

Lightbody is the UK’s leading supplier of celebration cakes to UK multiples grocery shops and supermarkets.

Based in Hamilton Lightbody employ 1,200 people, the business has two cake bakeries plus a European Sales and Marketing operation based in Rennes, France.

For over a hundred years, the company had their own chain of shops, but as the influence of the big supermarkets increased on the high street, they focused on manufacturing high value baked products to supply the retail outlets.

The Business Challenge
Each year 8.3 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in the UK, of which nearly 800,000 tonnes is bakery waste. Variations in basic ingredients, due to seasonal conditions, and in the production process, due to environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, etc, can result in inconsistencies in product quality and shelf life.  

The company were looking for a more quantitative metric to determine the quality and longevity of their baked goods to specifically:  

The Solution
Interface – The knowledge connection for business matched Lightbody to Strathclyde University who were able to suggest Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) as a solution. HSI cameras produce large volumes of complex data which require specialist analysis to measure the specific properties of the baked products. The University of Strathclyde’s Hyperspectral Imaging Centre is the first of its kind in the UK and was able to provide the expertise required by the company.

According to Ian Chree, Site Director, “We have built up a strong working relationship with Strathclyde University due to their wide range of expertise, enthusiasm and speed of response.”

In a previous feasibility project, Lightbody provided two different sponge cakes to Strathclyde for HSI. Initial results were positive, indicating that HSI technology could be used to quantify moisture content as well as other properties of the cakes. Due to the results, the company wanted to take this study to the next level.

With the support of Interface Food & Drink and funded through a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, the project used HSI to analyse two varieties of Lightbody sponges over a period of 40 days to assess the quality and longevity of these cakes. At the conclusion of the test, the HSI data was processed and the results were found to accurately match the results found by a taste panel.

Partnership Benefits
Use of Hyperspectral Imaging will reduce supermarket in-store wastage by quantifying the eating quality performance of sponge over its shelf life and increasing the overall life of the product. This complies directly with Lightbody’s strategy to minimise costs and expenditure through waste. Reduced supermarket waste will improve the cost efficiency of the manufacturing process through fewer production runs and lead to increased profits.

Lightbody plan to use this unique technology directly on the production line helping to produce greater consistency in its products, reduce waste and increase profits. The project has also allowed Lightbody to develop products with an even greater shelf life which is helping to attract overseas markets and increase the companies export potential.

“It has been a rewarding experience seeing our research applied in a real application. This work allows Lightbody to refine their processes in order to increase shelf life and improve consistency. A longer shelf life lets the company export into markets which are further afield.” Professor Stephen Marshall, Dept of Electronic and Electrical engineering, University of Strathclyde.

Please note that Interface administers the Innovation Voucher Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. All funding applications are reviewed on a case by case basis by the Scottish Funding Council, guidelines can be found here.

Background

Headquartered in Glenbervie near Stonehaven, Scotland, Macphie is the UK’s leading, independent, added-value food ingredients manufacturer, and has been producing premium quality food ingredients and solutions for customers across 40 countries for over 85 years.

Challenge

The company approached Interface to seek help in finding relevant academic collaborators to provide solutions to a range of challenges facing their business. These ranged from reducing saturated fat content and creating “cleaner label” products to rethinking their packaging and storage.
 

Solution

Interface has facilitated a series of collaborative projects with numerous Scottish Universities to support the business challenges.

Project areas have included:

To date, Macphie has been involved in more than 15 individual collaborative research projects with multiple universities which have yielded cost savings to the business of many hundreds of thousands of pounds.
 

Business benefits

“Innovation is a cornerstone for Macphie, developing new technologies, products, processes and packaging to add value to our business and better meet our customer needs.

Macphie utilises Interface as a Scottish brokering service that brings businesses and universities together. Interface has facilitated a series of collaborative projects across a range of business requirements with Scottish universities. Using the Interface network, we have managed to completely accelerate our innovation agenda.

At Macphie we now have a rich heritage of academic projects across many aspects of our business. These translate into shaping and driving our innovation agenda. Interface is a crucial partner in enabling us to pair up with the very best academic organisations to achieve success. Our ongoing outlook is to continue to invest resources in long-term, transformational projects to ultimately add even greater value to our customer offering.” Martin Ruck, Macphie’s Head of Research and Development.

Academic benefits

Following a successful masters project with Abertay University on computer and web Enabled Food Product Evaluation System:

“Abertay has a specific interest in pursuing links with industry as part of the University’s Strategic Plan. The work with Macphie is an excellent example of how Abertay can be recognised for developing graduates equipped with the attributes and attitudes to contribute significantly to future economies. 

The work has also been conducive for developing pathways to impact, allowing Abertay to generate an excellent track record with respect to KE activities that generate further income and reputation for the University.”  Dr Nia White, Head of the Graduate School, Abertay University.

Interface also supported Macphie and the University of Edinburgh to develop and test a series of emulsions to use in a commercial setting. This led on to further studies on the role of fat crystallisation in the process of stabilizing emulsions and foams which enabled the company to increase the unsaturated fats in their products.

“It was very interesting for us to apply our expertise in the physics of emulsion technology to support a company developing healthier products.”
Dr Tiffany Wood, Director of the Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership, The University of Edinburgh.

Additional notes

Macphie have worked with the following Universities and Research Institutes: University of Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Strathclyde, Heriot-Watt University, Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, Abertay University, Queen Margaret University.

Equal Adventure, located near Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland, is a registered charity with their main aim being to continue the development of equipment, information and resources, making outdoor adventure, fieldwork and active lifestyles accessible regardless of disability.

Equal Adventure works in a number of areas to ensure that adventure is accessible to people with disabilities which includes; equipment development, training, events and information. The trading arm of the charity operates as a social enterprise to ensure that the products they develop are able to reach the people and organisations that require them through sustainable manufacture, pricing and supply.

Equal Adventure had developed and created a prototype of snow board bindings for double leg amputees and needed to complete stringent laboratory based assessments of the product to validate the bindings.However, they did not have access to such expertise or facilities and required a third party to carry out the highly specialised testing so that the new product could be developed for the market.

Equal Adventure approached Interface – The knowledge connection for business after learning about the free and impartial brokerage service they provide.

Interface worked to translate their needs into a suitable brief for Universities and research centres across Scotland. Having conducted an extensive search Interface identified the required knowledge and facilities within the University of Strathclyde. The University’s department of Design Manufacture and Engineering Management’s Industrial Projects scheme allowed a student to undertake the design, development and testing of the product over the course of an academic year.

The project provided a unique work experience opportunity giving the student direct practical industry experience and resulted in a working prototype which established the design viability.

As a result of the knowledge connection made by Interface, Equal Adventure have proved the bindings are safe for use by double leg amputees and in doing so they have been able to add another product to their range.

Suresh Paul, Principal Advocate at Equal Adventure explained, “Interface linked Equal Adventure to the expertise provided by the University of Strathclyde which has been invaluable to us and enabled us to extend our product range making outdoor adventure even more accessible to all.”

Thanks to this partnership Equal Adventure has been able to authenticate the safety elements of the prototype and have subsequently created a new product which has allowed them to enter new markets, increase sales and safeguard jobs.

Invereach, based in Inverness, were looking to diversify their business and had developed a caffeinated, carbonated ‘pick-me-up’ drink. The new product is intended to appeal to the female market and it needed to have branding to reflect this. The drink comprises of naturally derived ingredients and they wanted to strongly draw on this association in its branding.

Business Challenge

In the early stages of development, the company identified a need for academic support to provide the expertise and research to create, build and develop a new brand.

Solution

Interface – The knowledge connection for business facilitated introductions between Invereach and the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Marketing. The project formed an opportunity for students to use it as part of their dissertations. The company worked with two sets of students, as part of their undergraduate course, who were able to develop a suitable brand for the energy drink and the brand ‘Super!Natural’ was developed for the product.

Benefits

Invereach launched the energy drink and it is now available across the Highlands and in a number of outlets in Scotland. The students were able to develop product branding specifically to the target market and provided the company with the research and branding development to access an entirely new market. A long term partnership has been established between Invereach and the University of Strathclyde.

Edinburgh-based Blackwood Foundation has researched how design and technology affects the day to day lives of Scotland’s disabled population.

The nationwide research enables housing associations and disability bodies to understand the living experiences of those with a disability, sensory impairment or support requirements, through identifying what works effectively in the home environment.

The Business Challenge

In 2010, and working in partnership with Capability Scotland, The Blackwood Foundation held 11 workshops throughout Scotland to gather the views of the disabled on what pleased or frustrated them with design and technology across a range of contexts in terms of independent living.

These workshops were also observed by industry representatives from local authorities and housing associations.

The Blackwood Foundation required an academic partner to document these workshops and produce a post-project research report for future use.

The Solution

Interface facilitated an introduction between The Blackwood Foundation and Phillippa Robertson-Rieck and Nick Watson from Strathclyde’s Centre for Disability Research, School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

The academic team compiled data collected from 97 disabled individuals. The data itself was segmented into three technology categories – ‘generic’, ‘specific’ and ‘appropriated’.

‘Generic’ refers to technologies aimed at enabling independence such as computers, remote controls and cooking aids. ‘Specific’ refers to technologies and design, including specific domestic applications and designs, aimed at enabling independence which have been specialised for certain disabled people. ‘Appropriated’ includes examples of both design and technology where disabled people have been innovative in creating their own solutions.

This collaboration resulted in the report ‘Design and Technology as an Aid to Living Independently: Disabled people’s views and experiences’.

Key findings included:

• Inaccessibility and inappropriate design was the single most important and common design frustration, i.e. the width of fixtures and fittings, plug sockets too low down; kitchen cabinets too high or low; inappropriate door handles; inappropriate taps and inaccessible bathrooms
• Access to computers and the internet was central to the lives of many participants and the reliability of an internet connection was a major problem
• Level access was seen as a crucial design feature that facilitated independence and accessibility

The Blackwood Foundation has launched a social media site which acts an information forum for the disabled and those in the relevant disability fields to share knowledge and increase awareness of design and technology solutions available to them.

Keep up with the Blackwood Foundation here.

One of the UK’s leading salt traders, Peacock Salt, turned to Scotland’s academic sector to help in the technical challenge of designing a new, natural, green and economically viable method to make (sea) salt domestically.

Initially a shipping company, J C Peacock & Co Ltd is a small family business based in Ayr, which was established in 1874, evolving into a salt trading firm. Peacock salts are used for general de-icing and water softening properties as well as for industrial use in the food, agriculture, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Keen to investigate salt production in Scotland, the company met with Interface – the knowledge connection for business – to help source an academic partner that could provide the right mix of experience required for the project. 

With help from Interface, Peacock Salt was able to connect with Dr Carl Schaschke from the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Chemical and Process Engineering.  Dr Schaschke had experience with natural salt production methods, such as purification of brine from volcanic craters and solar evaporation.

The Business Challenge

Earlier methods of making salt in Scotland were uneconomical; therefore Peacock was keen to lead the way in developing a new, industry-leading method.  Ultimately, they envisaged a new salt production plant being built – similar to innovative new plants in other parts of the world, such as Bad Salzuflen in Germany.

The main challenge in production terms was turning sea water (ca. 3% saline solution) into a concentrated solution of ca. 26%, which is when salt crystals start to drop out of solution.  The quality of the crystals is affected by the latter stages of the evaporation procedure. 

Peacock Salt offers the largest variety of salts available in the UK.  With over 6,000 customers, the company’s range includes salts from around the world such as Rock, Sea and Manufactured salts. 

Peacock Salt’s operations manager, Gregorie Marshall, was keen that the process used as natural a method as possible:  “Ideally we wanted to develop a salt production process that used green energy, where little additional input of heat and electricity is required, while also developing a new plant which itself would become a tourist attraction.

“We needed expertise in the areas of chemistry, chemical technology, chemical or process engineering to carry out research which would investigate and design the most suitable method of producing salt in Scotland. We also wanted to identify and analyse suitable sites using geographical and meteorological data.” 

Three universities came forward as potential partners for the project but ultimately, Peacock Salt chose to move forward with Strathclyde as Dr Schaschke had direct experience in salt production.

Initial discussions were leaning towards taking the project on as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), however it was decided that an initial financial feasibility study was required before progressing the KTP.  

The Solution

Peacock Salt was introduced to Carrie Shaw from the Strathclyde Links project, who was able to assist the firm source funding for the feasibility study, which was completed by Professor John Finch, of the University of Strathclyde Business School’s Department of Marketing.

Professor Finch, working with PhD student Emma Reid, provided Peacock Salt with a market/business viability report that provided in-depth analysis of the market for a sea salt produced at a facility in Scotland, including developing business scenarios in order to assess product positioning, price and current competitors in the market place.

A KTP to investigate a Scottish salt production facility took place in 2011.

Follow On activity

Following this successful project, Peacock Salt got back in touch with Interface to seek an academic partner to develop chemical brine which would allow them to extend their current offering of liquid de-icer.

This required the development of an additive that lowers the freezing point of the brine, and therefore the working temperature of the de-icer, without having any detrimental impact on the handling of the material. The additive would also enhance the salt or brine’s ability to adhere to the surface it has been applied to, offering a longer residual effect whilst not impairing the de-icing capabilities.

Interface successfully matched Peacock with Dr Mohammed Yaseen and Professor Andrew Hursthouse from the University of the West of Scotland to lead on this project. The team investigated the additives that can be applied to de-icers and examined performance improvements such as freeze-point suppression, reduced environmental impact and increased residual effect.

As a result, this would deliver an enhanced product offering for the business in the relatively innovation-free winter maintenance market. It will also have a positive impact on the business operating in the UK and potentially open up new market opportunities further field.

In addition, Peacock Salt is currently working on another collaboration project facilitated by Interface. 

As a key supplier of de-icing salt and winter equipment to local authorities, businesses and private individuals, Peacock Salt were keen to tackle another industry challenge. During winter, de-icer salt is spread on the roads every day when the weather conditions dictate, mostly when the temperature is predicted to be below a certain level. When spreading for multiple days no account is taken as to how much de-icer salt is left on the road.

The company was keen to develop an innovative method to measure the amount of di-icer salt on the road as the vehicle moves along, so it can be determined whether any more de-icer salt is required. Additionally, they wanted to develop a method of reporting this information back to the vehicle driver/equipment to enable them to alter the spread rate of de-icer.

Interface successfully matched Peacock Salt with Professor David Flynn from Heriot-Watt University, School of Engineering & Physical Sciences, to draw on his experience in research and knowledge exchange and guide the project. The project is funded by the Scottish Funding Council Follow-On Voucher, administered by Interface.

Gill Orde in Catering Ltd, based in Kelso, in the heart of the Scottish Borders, has crafted an enviable reputation providing friendly, bespoke and indulgent catering throughout Southern Scotland and Northern England. Using the very best of local and seasonal produce from the Borders region the team of talented staff can provide either wholesome or decadent award winning cuisine.

The company founder, Gill, arrived in the UK some 40 years ago when her love of cooking took her to the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery London.  The skills learned there and the dedication shown through her career in London and Edinburgh are distilled into the high standards of quality and service she garners from her team in the Borders.

The Business Challenge

Interface met with Justin Orde at the Scottish Enterprise Winning Through Innovation event in 2009.  A follow-up meeting was arranged to discuss possible support that could be offered for the development of their innovative online software programme which fulfills the requirements for a documented food safety management system.

Gill Orde in Catering Ltd had recently set up a joint venture with Deepserver Partnership (a trio of web developers) and together were developing an IT solution aimed at relieving some of the administrative burden of adhering to European food legislation. If proven, this software could potentially be rolled out across the UK and beyond.

The Solution

Having established the specific requirements, the Interface team identified five different Scottish academic research groups who could assist in the development.

Initial discussions were held with the University of Strathclyde’s Dr Raymond Wong and Dr Tara Beattie of the Department of Civil Engineering, who after meeting with the company to establish their needs, pulled together a research proposal and funding applications.

The Benefits

The University of Strathclyde’s Engineering Faculty has recently awarded a three year PhD Scholarship to Neil Pratt, a graduate of the Civil Engineering department’s MSc in Environmental Health, to carry out a research project in conjunction with Gill Orde in Catering.

The team have also been successful in their application for funding to the Strathclyde Links project for top-up funding during the first year of the PhD. This would allow Neil to dedicate a significant proportion of his time to meeting the company’s requirements.

The partnership provides an innovative way for Neil and the supervising academics to carry out industrially relevant research whilst also meeting the needs of the company in both the short and longer term.